


Distance

by ImASurvivor



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Daddy!Peeta, Forced Prostitution, Gen, Modern AU, also others characters to come, child prostitution, cooker Peeta, private investigator Katniss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-27
Updated: 2014-11-25
Packaged: 2018-02-15 00:30:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2208855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImASurvivor/pseuds/ImASurvivor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the airport in St. Louis, Katniss and Peeta collide. Then they go to their separate ways. This is a simple incident quickly forgotten. Only there's a problem: when they collided, they accidentally exchanged their phones.<br/>They began to dig into each other's phones and discover the secrets that have turn their lives down. </p><p>Their meeting was a twist of fate or coincidence?</p><p>Based loosely off "L'Appel de l'Ange" by Guillaume Musso. Modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This is what happens when two worlds collide.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey !
> 
> so... last month, I was reading this book and I couldn't help to think about Katniss and Peeta. In the first chapter, they are OOC. But if I thought about them it's because they'll became like THG. I don't say more because I give a lot of hints about the meaning of their behaviour ;) 
> 
> I like "L'Appel de l'Ange" (Call From an Angel) because the story seemed too evident but more I was reading the story and the more, the end of the story became so blurry. It drived me crazy! There's a lot of things will come from my imagination. 
> 
> I really like English, but it's not my main language. In two weeks, I'll go in college doing a degree in English. However, I need a beta. Anyone who is willing to help me for language's sake; I wrote this chapter all by myself, so if you see some mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me !
> 
> I really hope you'll like it !

__

 

_"The future has a way of arriving unannounced." George Will._

 

 

 

_Saint-Louis_

_Lambert Saint-Louis Airport_

_A week before Christmas_

 

 

**HER**

 

 

“And then?”

“Then, Gale offered me a diamond ring from Tiffany and asked me to be his wife.”

 

With the phone stuck against her ear, Katniss ambled in front of the tall windows overlooking the tarmac. Several miles from here, in a flat, Primrose, her little sister, listened, excited about Katniss’s trip in Saint-Louis.

 

“Wow, he pulled out all the stops!” notes Primrose. “A weekend in Saint-Louis in an expensive hotel, a proposal in front of the Gateway Arch at night… so romantic! You’re so lucky! When Aiden proposed me, he was half-drunk in his shitty hut.”

 

Katniss could already tell that Prim was pouting. She laughs lightly.

 

“You took pictures, right?” Primrose asks.

“Yes, but not many.”

 

It’s the start of Christmas’ vacation; thousands of travellers were hurrying in the crowded terminal. Some of them will meet their families, others will go to the other end of the world, or to tropical destinations, far away of the bad weather of Saint-Louis.

 

“By the way” continued Prim. “You didn’t tell me your answer.”

“Are you kidding? I told him yes, of course.”

“You didn’t make him wait?”

“Nope.” snorts Katniss. “I’m twenty-nine. I’ve waited enough, Prim. I love Gale, we've been together for four years, I want stability and…. I’m trying to have a baby with him.”

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” say Primrose.

 

Silence. Then she screams.

 

“Are you okay, Prim?”

“Oh. My. God. I’m going to be an aunt!”

“Yes! I’m finally happy.”

“You’re just saying this because he’s beside you!” Prim laughs.

“No! He’s gone to register our bags.”

 

Katniss stops in front of a newsstand, she’s thinking she might want to read a newspaper while she’ll be in the plane. But she didn’t find a good one, so she continues her walk.

 

Katniss look her watch. “I should go, my plane leaves at 4:40 pm and I still haven’t found Gale.”

“Okay. See you at home, Katniss!”

 

She hangs up.

 

 

**HIM**

 

“Stop insisting, Adèle. I don’t want to see you.”

“But I’m not far from you. Come on, please. I just want to talk to you!”

“You are talking to me.”

“Stop being childish. You know what I mean.”

 

Peeta frowns. He’s standing near the escalator.

 

At the end of the stairs, there’s a blond woman holding hands with a little boy, hiding in his big red coat. Adèle has long blond hair, blue eyes, she wears a skinny jeans, boots and a Burberry coat.

His son is trying to take the escalator, but his mother doesn’t want to let him go.

Peeta sighs.

 

“Let him come!”

 

He can’t bear the sight of his ex-wife. Because every time he does, bad memories come with it.

 

“You can’t talk to me like this!” protested Adèle, with a slight German accent.

“I can! You had a choice and these are the consequences. Don’t try to tell me what to do. You’re the one who betrayed your family! You betrayed us, Rye and me.”

“Leave Rye out of this!”

“No!”

 

He must have talked a bit too loudly, because people around him turn their heads toward him. He lowers his voice and continues. “It’s because of you if I only can see him during vacations.”

 

“What happened to us, Peeta it’s life... there isn’t only a bad one and a good one.”

“That’s not what the jury thought. Now back off and let Rye come.”

“Okay… just one more thing, I brought him a phone.”

“He’s way too young for a phone!”

“I want to be able to talk to him when I want.”

“And what about me? When I wanted to talk to him and you kept saying he was too young. You’re a hypocrite.”

“Peeta…”

“No, I don’t want to hear it.”

 

He hangs up. Peeta narrows his eyes, and see Adèle give Rye his bags. She kisses his cheek and puts him on the escalator.

 

“Hey Daddy!” Rye smiles as he reaches the top.

“Hey buddy.” Peeta hugs him.

 

 

**THEM**

 

 

Katniss’s fingers were tapping on the phone hesitantly. Phone in her hand, she starts writing a message to Gale, looking only where she’s going. Gale is off checking in their bags. In the message, Katniss asks him to join her at the restaurant.

 

“Daddy, I’m hungry. Can I have a sandwich?” asks Rye, with a big smile on his chubby face.

“Yeah, of course!” Peeta says, pinching his cheek playfully.

 

Gama, the main restaurant of the airport, is big with many counters, all with different culinary specialties.  Katniss bites her lips in dilemma, to have a slice of chocolate cake or a slice of pizza? She contemplates an apple, because she’s health conscious and needs to be careful but she’s so hungry, that she’s tempted by what else is on offer. Finally, she takes an apple, a salmon sandwich and a bottle of water.

 

Rye was so hungry, that he salivates in front of his Italian sandwich. From an early age, he accompanied his father in his kitchen’s restaurants. He’s always open to taste new flavors. And from what Peeta heard, Rye is becoming a good cook for his age. Peeta is very proud of him. Rye is reminding him more and more of his own father.

 

“Be careful not to drop your tray.”

 

“ ‘kay, Daddy!”

 

He sticks his tongue between his lips, and narrows his eyes, visibly concentrating to not drop his meal. Peeta smiles when he sees him.

 

The restaurant is crowded. It appears that there are more people than there are tables.

 

Then, he sees an empty table.

 

“On the right, Rye!”

 

They both hurry over to the empty table.

 

Then Peeta’s phone starts ringing.

 

He hesitates.

 

Juggling his bags in one hand and his tray on the other, he strains to pick his phone, but…

 

_God, there’s so many people!_ Thinks Katniss.

 

“Ouch!” she says. A teenager just walked on her foot. Without stopping to excuse herself, the teenager raises her middle finger. Katniss would gladly like to give her a piece of her mind.

 

But then she spots an empty table.

 

Suddenly, her phone was ringing. _Oh no not now_.

 

She can’t pick up, but thinks it could be Gale trying to call. Maybe he’s looking for her. With too much in her hands, she still tries to pick the phone. She fails to see where she’s going when…

 

Katniss and Peeta collide. Apple, sandwich, Coca-Cola bottle; everything is on the floor.

 

Surprised, Rye drops his tray too and starts to cry. His cheeks are red and tear stained.

 

 _What an idiot!_ Peeta thinks. He picks his stuff and puts it on the tray.

 

“Can’t you look where you’re going?” she shouts.

 

He looks at her and says. “Oh, it’s my fault? We were practically sitting at the table and you come from nowhere and ran into me!”

 

“I saw this table before you!” Katniss retorts.

 

Peeta tries to comfort his son, wiping his tears while he’s whispering calming words. He stands up, and looks straight at the woman’s stormy eyes. He frowns and shakes his head.

 

“Take your stupid table.” says Peeta. “We’ll going somewhere else.” He says to his son.

 

Suddenly, a man appears beside the woman. Looking at them, Peeta thinks they look like siblings. Then, Peeta and his son leave.

 

Although still angry, Katniss takes one last look at the blond guy with bright blue eyes.

*****

 

Delta flight leaves Saint-Louis for New York at 4:10 pm.

 

After the restaurant, Rye calmed down and is now laughing with his father.

 

Since the divorce of his parents, Rye has been afraid of planes.  So during the flight, Peeta distracts him by catching up on all the things they’ve both missed in each other’s lives.

 

Meanwhile, the United flight leaves Saint-Louis for Portland at 4:40 pm. Sitting in the coziness of business class, Katniss switches on her camera and looks again at the pictures of the wonderful weekend. Gale falls asleep.

 

Peeta’s plane arrives at JFK just after 7pm. 

 

Peeta exits the plane, with Rye soundly asleep in his arms. In the airport hallways, Peeta looks out for his best friend, Finnick. He doesn’t see him anywhere.

 

“He’s never on time!” he sighs.

 

He gets out his phone to deactivate ‘Airplane mode’ hoping he got a message from Finnick while he was on the plane. The traffic in New York is always terrible. He notices one new message, opens it and sees that it’s a long message:

 

_Hey brainless!_

_How was the trip with Gale?_

_And how was St-Louis?_

_Honestly, it would be better if he took you in L.A…but well._

_Also, Prim told me that he proposed you._

_I want to know EVERYTHING._

_Call me when you get this message even if I’m working. I don’t give a shit._

_I hope you had fun and that you fucked his brains out after he proposed you! ;)_

_Johanna, xx._

“What the fuck?” he mutters.

 

 _That’s weird_ he thinks. _Maybe it’s a joke?_ Thinking something is off, he goes to his Gmail account on his phone. His doubts are confirmed, it's not his phone. The email address displayed is katnisseverdeen7@gmail.com from Sisters, OR, USA.

 

_Shit! It’s the phone of the silly woman from the airport!_

*****

Katniss yawns. She couldn’t sleep on the plane, Gale snores too loud.

 

She gets home at 2 am. She still lives alone.

 

Gale’s friend Thom picks them both up from the airport. They drop her off in front of her building. Before she goes, Gale asks “Are you really going to work tomorrow? You should rest.”

“No, my shop has been closed for too long.” She says with a wink.

 

He laughs and says. “I’ll call you tomorrow."

 

She nods. He takes one last look at the ring finger. Then, they drive away.

 

While she’s climbing the stairs, she gets out her phone and deactivates 'Airplane mode'.  The phone buzzes indicating a voice message.

 

A sexy lazy sounding voice speaks from the phone: _Hey, dude. Sorry, I’ll be a little late but Annie wasn’t feeling good, y’know. I’m on my way, but apparently there’s a traffic jam near the airport. The usual. Sorry again._

 

“Who was that?” Katniss asks herself. “Wrong number maybe”.  Closing the message she notices that it’s not her phone. Normally, her wallpaper is Prim and her. But, now it’s a little boy with a man.

Realization hits her, immediately.

_Oh fuck! It’s dumbass’ phone from the airport!_

 


	2. No matter how many nights that you lie awake to the sound of poison rain.

_“Events in life are like the wind. Some just brush your skin, others will stun you.” –Unknown._

Peeta sends the first message.

__

_ I have your phone. You have mine? Peeta Mellark. _

Katniss answers almost immediately

_ Yes. Where are you? Katniss Everdeen. _

_ New York. You? _

_ Sisters. In Oregon... How we’re going to do this? _

_ I can send it by the post, what’s your address? _

_ The Hob, 11 Cascade Avenue, Sisters, OR. _

_ Okay, here’s mine: _

_ Mellark & Odair’s restaurant, _

_ 6027 Marcy Street, New York City, NY.  _

__

_ You have a sporting and hiking store, right? _

__

_ Also, someone calling themselves ‘Sae’s granddaughter’ sent you a message. She said that she will come over tomorrow with new sale items and that Sae will come to see you as well. _

_ And why are you checking my messages?! _

_ Because you might need to know. _

_ In that case, you got a voice message for a new reservation: M. and Mrs. Bramstock reserved a table for two persons, tomorrow night at 7:50 pm.  _

_ If I hadn’t of told you, would you have told me? _

_ Probably not. Good night. _

_ I just woke up, but good night. _

Katniss shakes her head. She puts the phone on her nightstand and in less ten minutes, she’s asleep.

*****

_ New York City _

_ 11:51 _

“Daddy, I want to see the kitchens!” pleads Rye, clapping his hands.

“I have an appointment right now, but I promise I will later.” says Peeta.

“Yeaaaah!” he screams, jumping everywhere.

The restaurant isn’t as large as the last one he had, but it’s warm and cozy and has a great atmosphere. 

Finnick Odair, his restaurant’s co-owner,is from Miami. So the restaurant has a lot of seafood dishes, both in the traditional style and with an international flavor. 

Peeta and Finnick have been best friends since Peeta moved out to New York five years ago. They opened the Mellark and Odairs restaurant last year. And their friendship is very strong. 

Annie Cresta (Finnick’s sweetheart), Krystal McMillan and Marlene Dickens are waitresses. Their sassy cashier is a man named Alan Puckle. There are other chefs, but they are rarely out of the kitchen. 

Peeta is looking for someone in the restaurant that can mind his son. He sees Alan and asks “Hey, Alan! Can watch Rye for me for a moment? I have to do the inventory and it’s freezing outside. Don’t want him to catch a cold.”

Alan istan skinned,red-headedand proudly gay. Every Monday, a regular client, Mr Niaz comes to the restaurant so Alan is always the first to arrive so he doesn’t miss him. When Mr Niaz arrives, Alan has this‘hungry-look’ about him, like the client is an ice cream during a heat wave.

“Of course!” Alan answers, brushing his hair off his forehead, he turns his gaze toward Rye. “How are you? And how is your sweet darling…Liz, right?”  When he heard the name of his sweetheart, Rye blushes ten shades of red. 

Peeta smiles, and go at the back of the restaurant. A truck is waiting, with boxes in front of the little door. It’s the monthly delivery. Peeta signs the discharge to the delivery man and the truck drives off. He and the chefs take the boxes to the central fridge. 

Peeta and Finnick only order fresh produce. That’s why people like their restaurant. They don’t cheat their customers. 

Peeta likes Finnick. When Peeta moved to New York, he was a depressed 31 year old living in a tiny apartment. Peeta and Adèle had divorced when Rye was only 3. 

Finnick was his neighbor at the time, having just graduated culinary school. Their friendship was gradual at first, however after only being neighbors for a few months, Finnick offered to help him search for a job.

They stumbled on some good luck when Finnick heard that the owner of a nearby restaurant had decided to close down because he decided to become a teacher. 

Finnick begged the owner to sell the restaurant to his friend, saying that he’ll take good care of the restaurant and that the restaurant’s new boss will be Peeta Mellark, who by then had a reputation as being one of the best chefs in the world. 

As soon as Finnick mentioned Peeta’s name, the owner sold the restaurant immediately without question. Everybody knew who Peeta Mellark was. 

After the sale, Peeta’s mood started improving but it almost fell apart when Finnick announced he was planning to return to Miami because he had projects waiting for him. Peeta then asked him to be hisco-owner, to which Finnick had agreed.

In the restaurant’s offices, the co-owners were in deep concentration writing out the checks for their staff members. Peeta put the phone on the desk, and went to work filling out Krystal’s check.

 “Wow, she’s hot!” Finnick exclaims startling Peeta.  He’s scrolling through the photos of the phone on Peeta’s desk.

“What’s that?” He sees Katniss’s phone in Finnick’s hand.

“Show me.” says Peeta.

Among the woman’s pictures, there is one where she looks younger, with a side braid and a fierce look. She’s wearing clothes similar to Lara Croft. Tight black leather pants, a blackt-shirtwith long sleeves and leather boots. There’s a band around each of her thighs with holstered toy guns and a belt around her waist with more toy guns, knives and cartridges.

“Oh, look the background! It was probably during a Halloween party!” zooming in on the picture. “She’s super sexy!” he repeats, letting his mouth hang open.

“Oh, yeah, Annie will be glad hear that.” Peeta teases.

“Shut up!” he laughs.

He continues to look the pictures.  There’s a picture of her in a bathing suit in front of a river; her hiking in a forest; others pictures in the Lara Croft outfit; and her with a younger blond girl.

“Why have you got all these pictures of this woman? Are you dating her or something?” Finnick asks.

Peeta fills him in on how he ended up with Katniss’s phone.

*****

_ Sisters _

_ 17h09 _

Katniss is so tired. Her right elbow is leaning against the wooden kitchen counter, her palm just below her jaw and her eyes are closing slowly. She’s drifting between wakefulness and sleep. 

Suddenly, she hears the loud and raspy voice of her friend Sae loudly entering the store.

“Here you are finally, silly girl! I’ve been trying to call you. What are you doing here? You look like you need to get some rest!”

Katniss smiles slightly, her eyes are still heavy.

“I can’t right now.  In a few weeks, the hiking competition is on. People all over the Deschutes will be coming. I can’t afford to lose clients, especially when it’s the start of the season. You should know.” She winks.

“Of course I do! I’ve lived here for 57 years!” she laughs loudly. “Did my granddaughter give you the items?” Katniss nods 

“So, rumor has it Gale proposed you?” Sae asks.

“Yes. It’s true.” Katniss shows Sae her ring finger. “My ring looks so out of place!” she laughs.

“Oh! It’s beautiful! Now, I understand why he worked his ass off during these past months!”

“What?”

“Seriously? You didn’t know? In September, he asked his boss if he could work the whole month without a day off.”

Katniss’s mirth suddenly dies in her throat. Sae senses her shock and frowns.

“You’re so oblivious, Katniss.” states Sae, becoming serious. “Everybody in town noticed that he was tired with big bags under his eyes. For a moment, we all thought you guys split. Plus, you never asked him why he never had a day off?”

“Huh…no…”

“Well, never mind. He did it because he wanted to. Sorry, girl, I thought Primrose told you.”

“Primrose knew?!”

Sae doesn’t answer, and stares at her, like she wants to know if Katniss is serious. She shakes her heads and says. “Anyway, I have to go see Purnia, we have to start organizing the rodeo competition that’s coming up in a few months.” 

Katniss barely listened her.

During her and Gale’s weekend away, she realized she paid for nothing. Mostly because Gale ispig-headedand stubborn when it comes to money (more than her). She never questioned where this money came from and now she feels bad. 

Peeta’s phone starts ringing. She doesn’t answer. She’s too tired. 

Moments later, she sees that someone left a voice message. She really doesn’t have time forwhoever it was but she’s curious and opens the message. A hesitanthigh-pitched voice starts speaking: it’s an American but Katniss can detect the slight German accent. 

_ Peeta, it’s me, Adèle. Call me, please. We should talk. I know I betrayed you and Rye. I did a lot of questionable things. I couldn’t see what I had in front of me: a loving husband and my only child. Come back to me, please. I know I screwed everything up. But I’ve learnt from my mistakes. I love you. I still do, even if you don’t think so. I know you won’t forget, but please, forgive me… Peeta, I need you so badly. These past years haven’t been the same without you. We’re meant to be a family. Please, Peeta. _

The rest of the message is the sound of the tears of thisex-wife(at least, it’s what she thinks Adèle is), before the message stops. 

For a moment, Katniss doesn’t move. Then she started feeling guilty. She leaves the phone on the counter, still thinking about what she heard. She’s even forgotten that she was feeling bad for Gale.

*****

Peeta’s apartment is near his restaurant in a quiet neighborhood. 

It’s past midnight, when Rye falls asleep. He was so excited that he didn’t want to leave the restaurant. Peeta threatened him that he won’t take him there anymore, but they both know that’s a lie. 

His phone starts ringing and he answers forgetting that it’s not his.

“Hi?”

“Hey Katniss? How are you?” asks a female voice.

He doesn’t respond, but the voice continues.

“You didn’t call me, brainless! So how was the flight? I hope you’re not too tired because I want to know everything!”

“My flight was excellent, thank you.” He responds.

“Hey, you're not Katniss! Who are you?”

Then the person laughs for a long moment.

“Oh god, you’re Katniss’s lover?!”

“What? No I’m not!” Peeta scoffs.

“Of course, you’re not, stupid man.” the woman snorts. “Where is Katniss?”

“Long story.”

“Okay, well, I’mgonna–“

He realizes he doesn’t want to hear what she has to say and hangs up. 

He’s had a long and complicated day and he’s exhausted. He doesn’t have time tochit-chatwith a stranger. 

He is about to turn off the phone, but curiosity gets the better of him. Besides the pictures he already saw, the phone contains a lot of landscapes pictures.  Others of Katniss with the man he saw at the airport and her with a middle aged blond woman. 

From what he sees, she doesn’t seem to travel regularly. There are a lot of pictures with the airport man where she’s smiling. 

Peeta’s heart aches.  The happiness of the others reminds him of what he lost and everything he’s been through since. 

He decides to take a look at her music playlist. He doesn’t know what he expected but it wasn’t this: Bob Dylan, Poison, John Mayer, The Smiths and David Bowie. He is surprised. They have similar tastes. 

Without a second thought he starts reading her messages. So airport man has a name: Gale. She has a history of cute messages with him. And the woman who just called Peeta earlier, Johanna. 

He’s so caught up that he doesn’t even he realize that he’s now in her organizer. She has a lot of ‘rendezvous’ with someone called Pablo. He imagines Pablo is asouth-Americanman.

Maybe this Johanna wasn’t kidding about Katniss having a lover? What if the fiancé is even aware of her infidelity?

_ They’re all the same _ … Peeta thought.

He discovers that Katniss is seeing a doctor to check her fertility. He and Adèle went through the same thing. 

He sees the results of the tests; they are good for Katniss and Gale. But something isn’t right. She should have done a ‘Huhner test’, but every time it was scheduled she pushed her back the appointment, three times in total.

He wonders why. And what is he doing riffling through this woman’s phone at 1 am? Why is he so interested in her life? He only saw her, what…for only two minutes in his life?

He was about to sleep, but he can’t shut down his curiosity. 

He connects the phone to the computer and scrolls through her pictures again. He stares at one where she’s in front the Gateway Arch smiling widely. 

But Peeta senses something…broken in her. Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. And it’s the same all the other pictures of her. 

He goes through her phone again, muttering. “What’s your secret, Everdeen?” 

He spots an app called ‘Calendar for Women’. The calendar keeps track of her periods and notes dates where she would be fertile. 

Peeta feels like he’s becoming a voyeur and a pervert but he doesn’t stop. 

He notices that there are little hearts in some days of the calendar. _What does this mean?_ He thinks. He looks where these hearts are placed and suddenly it become obvious…

Katniss pretends to want children, but is careful to not to make love when she’s fertile…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> How are you all?
> 
> So... I hope you like this chapter? 
> 
> FYI: Sisters is a little town in Oregon, I didn’t invented anything about this :)
> 
> All the titles of my chapters is coming from a song; in this case, it's Hurricane by 30SM !
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments, it motivates me. Keep going! 
> 
> I still need a beta, I write my chapters in English, I just need someone to correct my mistakes. It's not pleasant to read a fic with a lot of mistakes...
> 
> See you ! 
> 
> IAS :) xx 
> 
> See you!


	3. Off in the night, while you live it up, I'm off to sleep.

_The next day in Sisters._

_11:13 am_

 

 

The Hob is Katniss’s store. It’s an outdoor adventure sports store that sells hiking equipment, rodeo gear and gear for other outdoor sports.  An ideal store for a town surrounded by forests and mountains.

Sae’s granddaughter, Clarys, works with her. She’s in her middle twenties and very independent. That’s why Katniss hired her, they’re a lot alike. Actually, besides Katniss, she’s the only other employee.

 

“Clarys can you do something for me, please?” asks Katniss.

“Of course, what do you want?” she answers, stopping what she’s doing.

“I need you to send a package for me; Post closes at noon and I really need to send something. Can you help me?”

“Yep.” says Clarys, popping the p.

“It’s a package for someone in New York.” Katniss tell, giving her a wad of bills and the package.

Clarys takes a look at the address:

 

_Peeta MELLARK_

_Mellark & Odair’s restaurant, _

_6027 Macy Street,_

_New York City, NY._

“Peeta Mellark…like the chef?” asks Clarys, furrowing her eyebrows.

"You know him?" Katniss asks, surprised.

"Everybody knows him." she shrugs.

Katniss scowls. "So, I’m like the Queen of Stupidity?"

 

"Oh no! It's...I...just..." she stutters.

 

Clarys turns crimson. She's embarrassed and lowers her gaze to the floor.

 

"Well go on then.  Who is he?"

 

Clarys swallows.

 

"Few years ago, my friends and I wanted to celebrate our graduation in New York. In Peeta’s restaurant. It was unforgettable.  Very long waiting list but flavors that I thought only existed in my dreams."

 

She closes her eyes, as if she can almost remember what the meals tasted like.

 

"But I don't think we’re talking about the same person. I mean...this just looks like an address for a shitty restaurant not one that’s five stars.”

 

Clarys shrugs her shoulders. She grabs her bag and exits the store. "Ok I’m off, see you!"

 

Katniss tells her goodbye and bites her bottom lip thinking about what Clarys has said.

 

Since re-opening the store, business has been busy. It’s clear that the pickup in business is largely due to the upcoming competition.  Clarys let her know that the people coming to her store aren’t just from Deschutes County, but from all over the state.

 

Katniss is proud of her business. When she opened the store three years ago there were two sports stores, hers and Cray's. But Louis Cray was crazy and perverted. Everybody knew it. His prices were too expensive and the quality was terrible.  Gradually more and more people preferred coming to The Hob and now hers is the only sports store in Sisters.

 

Katniss opens her laptop on the counter. She types in 'Peeta Mellark' in Google and comes up with more than 600,000 results!   She goes to his Wikipedia page and see’s him in a photo looking younger and sexier than she remembers him from their brief encounter. 

 

She begins to read his biography.

 

_Peeta Mellark, born the 29th November 1978, is a chef and an American business man._

__

_ Apprenticeship  _

_Peeta was born in Union, Kentucky into a family of bakers. At 15, he took up an apprenticeship at a local restaurant._

_At 17, Peeta came up with his own menu and the chef agreed to put it on the card because he claimed "it's important to value new talent". Shortly after, renowned chef Christian Nikovoski came to the restaurant and was impressed by Peeta._

_He moved to New York and with Nikovoski's help, Peeta gained valuable experience as a chef at St. Regis, Michelangelo, Renaissance and the Mandarin Oriental._

__

_ Revelation  _

_After the Mandarin Oriental, Peeta became sous chef at The Ritz. Tragedy struck when his mentor, Nikovoski, passed away suddenly from a heart attack._

_Whilst a terrible tragedy, this became a huge opportunity for Peeta as shortly after, he became the head chef of the famous Ritz hotel._

_ Consecration  _

_In 2001, he met Adèle Brandt, the daughter of German business man Rolf Brandt.  Adèle came to The Ritz while on her honeymoon with her new husband, engineer Mark Cartwright. After only one week of marriage, Adèle and Mark divorced. A few years after, Peeta and Adèle married. With Adèle’s help, Peeta opened his own restaurant, The Capitol, in Midtown West._

_This marked the start of a very creative period for Peeta.  He experimented with new technologies mixed with a very conservative Mediterranean style.  Success was immediate.  In a few months of opening, The Capitol had become the number one place to dine in Manhattan._

_At only 29, he won the prestigious International Chef of the Year award. And his five star Michelin restaurant had waiting lists of up to a year._

_ Icon  _

_Besides his career as a chef, Peeta Mellark also appeared in various tv shows: ‘An Hour With Peeta on BBC America’ and ‘Chef's Secrets’ on Fox._

_He received Hillary Clinton's support for his speech about healthy menus for schools…_

 

"Are you selling those items?"

"Excuse me?"

 

Katniss lifts her head. Too engrossed by Mellark's life, she didn't even notice that a client had come into her store.

 

"The items on that model, are you selling them?"

"Huh...No, sorry." she lied, wanting to be alone to continue reading.

__

_ Businessman  _

_Mellark, with the help of his wife, created 'The Capitol Group' expanding with bistros and brasseries in luxury hotels._

_The Capitol Group went international with outlets in London and Tokyo. And by 2007, The Capitol Group had 2,427 employees in more of fifteen countries._

__

_ Difficultiesand withdrawal of the world of gastronomy  _

_Mellark started to become the target of many critics. Those that once praised his talent were now calling him a ‘sell out’ focusing only on new financial deals._

_At 31, Peeta and Adèle divorced. Shortly after, Peeta walked away from the culinary world altogether, declaring that he's "exhausted by criticism" and that he is "lacking inspiration"._

At the end of the Wikipedia page, Katniss notices that he wrote a book in 2005: ‘ _Confessions of a chef in love’_.

She ends up googling the Mellark and Odair restaurant website. The website hasn’t been recently updated.

 

She’s interrupted in thought by a phone call from Clarys.  "You're still at the post?"

"Huh...No, it's closed because of the snow. And apparently it will be shut for some time."

 

Sadly this isn’t unusual in Sisters.

 

"Well, would you mind going to the library? There’s a book I’m trying to find ‘Confessions of a chef in love’ by….

 

_New York,_

_midnight_

 

Peeta is lying in his bed, hands on his stomach, staring at the ceiling. It happens sometimes, when he realizes how strange his life has become in less than five years. The phone chimes notifying him of an incoming email.  Strangely enough it's for him...

 

_Dear Peeta,_

_Can we go past Mr Mellark and Miss Everdeen? I mean, if you're rude enough to read my emails, you’ve probably gone through my pictures as well. Don’t you dare post them anywhere on the internet, because they’re private and I'm not sure my future husband will like that._

_I’m emailing you because I have news: good and bad. The bad: the post is closed for a few days because of the snow. Airport, roads, bus and post: everything's blocked. I can't send you your iPhone._

_Katniss E._

 

Peeta's replies immediately.

 

_Are you kidding me? It's just a little snow. And I'm not talking about NY right now, but about Sisters. I just saw the weather in your weather app._

 

If she doesn't send his phone, he won't send hers!

 

He reads the reply that he just received.

 

_Still wide awake at this hour, Peeta? Are you even sleeping? Maybe you should, you might be less grumpy._

 

Peeta sighs and replies.

 

_By the way, you promised me good news..._

 

_Here's the good news: I had a lot of clients today!_

 

_Yeah, now I know you're kidding me._

 

Katniss is lying in her bed smiling when she reads his reply. Still, she's worried. She should warn Peeta about Adèle’s message _._

Hisex-wife was begging him to come back to her so she thinks it's important. She wonders how she got into this situation, having accidently being the messenger for Peeta on his ex-wife.  She doesn’t like it.

 

She writes another email:

 

_Dear Peeta,_

_Before I go to sleep, let me ask you three questions._

_1)_ _Why is the 'best chef of the world' in a shitty restaurant in New York?_

_2)_ _Why are you still wide awake at 3:30 am?_

_3)_ _Are you still in love with your_ _ex-wife?_

 

After Katniss sends the email, she regrets it instantly.

 

For twenty minutes, he doesn't respond. Just as her eyes start feeling heavy, the phone alerts her to a new email. Impatient, she opens it.

 

_Dear Katniss,_

_If it satisfies your curiosity:_

_1) If I was "the best chef in the world", I'm not anymore. I lost my inspiration... But if one day you and your Gale are in New York, don't hesitate to come into the restaurant. We have a delicious fresh seafood risotto that our customers love._

_2)_ _It's 3:50am, yes...The reason? I have two questions that won't get out of my mind._

_3)_ _Fuck you._

~~~~~~ 

_Peeta_

_Sorry for bothering you. I think the post will reopen soon. Tomorrow, I’ll call a courier so you'll have it before Thursday._

_Happy Holidays, for you and your son._

_Katniss E._

_P.S: You said you couldn't sleep because you had two questions in your mind, what are they?_

 

~~~~~~

 

_Dear Katniss,_

_Still curious, huh?_

_So I can get some sleep I want to know:_

_1)_ _Who is Pablo?_

_2)_ _And why you are pretending to your friends and family that you want children, when you’re taking such precautions NOT TO?_

_PM_

 

Katniss panics and turns off the phone. She's shivering.

He knows! This guy knows about PABLO and the baby!

 

How is that possible?

 

Oh god, if he discovers the document in her phone, she's screwed. It's something that Peeta shouldn't find out about. It's something that Katniss has no right to even have.

 

Something that changed her entire life! This document almost killed her and if he knows, he could be in danger too.

 

After sending off his questions, Peeta slept like the dead. But for Katniss, it's a long sleepless night filled with the fear for herself and for her friends.

 

But, she's almost one hundred percent sure her secret is protected. Mellark won't discover it. At least, it's what she hopes.

 

Chapter End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title comes from Kings Of Leon- Use Somebody song.


	4. All around are familiar faces, worn out places

_In life,  has sometimes, out of nowhere people who mark your existence forever. Fate puts in your path and like,_

_magic, they influence your behavior; sometimes, to the point of changing your way of being. They weave a web over holding you prisoner of their essence._

_\- Francisco Fernández de Paula_

 

 

 

_ New York _

Since their conversation, Peeta hadn't touched the phone except to check on the time. 

Christmas is in four days and the restaurant is busier than usual. Finnick and Peeta work hard to manage their restaurant; they divide up their tasks and check on the customers to keep everything running smoothly.

Peeta sees Annie in the kitchen. "Where's Rye?"

"Talking to his mom." answers Annie.

"Okay, thanks."

Adèle has called a few times since she gave Rye the phone and Peeta can't stand it. When Rye is with his mother, she doesn't allow Peeta to call a lot.  She claims because "it's her turn to have him". Like he's just a toy. He can see his son only during vacations and she still finds a way to piss him off. 

He sees Rye on the phone in the corner of the restaurant, but he doesn't say anything. It's his mother, after all. Peeta’s upset because he can't take care of Rye the way he wants to in this busy month. 

He resolves to go talk with Rye, even for just a few moments to catch up on his day.  As he’s on his way over he gets interrupted by Finnick.

"Hey Peeta! There's a problem with a delivery, can you take care of it?" shouts Finnick from the other side of the hall.

Peeta gives him a thumbs up and goes to the back of the restaurant. Every December, they have a special delivery of the more expensive Christmas food.  This is their busiest month so they’re taking extra precautions with all their orders.

He sees a woman standing by the truck, her facehalf-hiddenin her thick blond curls under a red cap.

"Hey, I heard there was a problem. What’s going on?" Peeta asks.

"Well, apparently, Mr Odair said that you didn't order salmons steaks but smoked salmon."

"Yes, that’s right."

"But, there must have a mistake because our records show an order by Peeta Mellark for salmon steaks."

"Come see the original order for proof.” Peeta says and beckons her to come into his office.

It's not usual that restaurants have problems with deliveries. Peeta always keeps his records up to date for this reason. 

Peeta opens his drawer and takes out the order that he printed and gives it to the lady.

Her face drops. "Oh, okay... our fault. We're really sorry about the inconvenience. And hope that you remain our customers. It won't happen again."

"When can we get the smoked salmon?"

"I’ll see what I can do. Hopefully this evening? I'll talk to my boss."

"Okay, great. Don't worry too much, we are on good terms with your boss. We’re not going to change."

He gives her a lopsided smile. And smiles wider when he notices that she blushes slightly.

"Okay...so have a good day, Mr Mellark."

"So do you."

She gives him one last look before she closes the truck door. He sighs.

_ Oh man, it's going to be a long and hard day. _

~+~+~+~+~

__

_ Sisters _

"Ready?" Gale asks.

"Yep. Ready for adventure!" Katniss says brightly, closing her hiking bag.

Gale and Katniss like to go hiking, hunting and swimming in the 'Three Sisters' forest just behind the town. 

There is a lake in western side of the forest. Sometimes, when the weather is warmer, they take their swimsuits and swim for hours. 

Since the weather is cold, they decide to do some hiking and if they have the opportunity, do some hunting too. Officially, hunting isn't allowed. But nobody seems to mind, even Mayor Castor doesn't care. He sometimes buys fresh meat from Katniss. She just does it because she doesn't want to be on his bad side; after all, he's the Mayor. 

It's 6 am. They walk for an hour, talking about everything that’s been going on in their lives. But in the back of her mind, Katniss can't stop thinking about how hard Gale worked to pay for the ring. 

He should know that she's not some kind of high maintenance woman that demands expensive gifts.  She thought that they were on the same wavelength. And it concerns her that that doesn’t seem to be the case. 

But then he doesn't even know why she's not expecting pricey things. He doesn't know anything at all. He only knows the bright side of her story: her childhood, when she was a teenager and a grown woman. He doesn't have a clue about her somber past. 

She wants to say something and argue with him for working so hard. But she doesn't say a word. He seems genuinely happy so she leaves him alone.

"I think we should get squirrels and wild dog. Sae and Clarys love wild dog." states Gale.

“Well by the time we get back anything we get won’t be fresh, so yeah that’s a good idea. And we have to get blueberries and raspberries for Castor." she adds. He nods.

Not long into their hike, the weather turns bad quickly and it begins to rain. It's just very light rain and doesn’t bother them much.

"I'm going to pee." Gale declares. "Don't move, I don't want to lose you." She sighs.

Just after he leaves, the weather starts to get worse and a storm forms. She can hear the thunder in the distance and the wind has started getting strong. She needs to find Gale, right away. She starts looking around her vicinity but he's nowhere to be seen.

"GALE!" She shouts into the wind.

Nothing. She calls for him a few more times before remembering that she has a phone. She searches for his number then curses when she realizes she didn't put his number on the phone. Luckily, the phone starts ringing. She looks the name and became angrier.

"What the fuck do you want?" she shouts.

"Hello?"

"What do you want, Mellark?"

"Miss Everdeen?"

"WHAT?"

"Is this a bad time? I can call later..."

"Just tell me what you want, you dick!"

"Woah! What I have done? I just wanted to talk to you because apparently, we can't find a way to get back our phones. So, I thought..."

"Stop thinking!" she yells.

"Okay, definitely, I'll call after." he huffs.

She looking around her and sees nothing but trees bending because of the powerful wind and everything is so grey. She puts her arm around her, holding the phone with the other.

"No, don't hang up." she whispers.

"What? I can't hear anything. Where are you?"

"In the woods."

"What are you doing in the woods, there are storms!"

"Oh thank you, Einstein!" she says sarcastically. "I didn't fucking know!"

"Are you insane? I don't know why you're so upset at me and I don't care. Bye."

"But..."

She hears the bipbip. He has hung up.

"Fucking jerk!" she shouts at the phone.

She sits against a tree, waiting for the end of the storm. Gale will come back, of course, he will. Her phone rings again. It's Peeta. She picks up.

"Okay, sorry." he said. She's taken back.

"Huh?"

"I'm not going to repeat myself. Now, tell me, do you have a compass?"

"No..." She curses herself to be this stupid.

"Can you pick up any Wi-Fi?"

"No..." she repeats.

"Send me your coordinates if you can, I'll help you."

She tells him where she thinks she is.  She needs to shout her response since the storm is louder than before. She’s getting scared, trees seem like they’re going to break in half or she's going to get sucked up by the wind. 

"Ok, you're not too far from your home. Head right." She does what he asks. She hears only the silence on the other side of the line.

"Are you still here?" she asks in a whisper, sounding like a scared little girl.

"Yes."

"I just hope you're not going to direct me the wrong way."

"Not sure of that."

For a moment, she thinks he's serious. Then she hears a laugh. She sighs, annoyed.

"You scared me!"

"Chill, I was joking."

After thirty minutes of being guided by Peeta, Katniss finally finds her way back to her car. She feels less stressed, thanks to Peeta. She thanks him and assures him that she'll call a courier soon to deal with the phone situation. 

Peeta is sure now that something is broken in Katniss. He finds himself attracted to this mysterious side of her. 

Two hours after getting back to Gale’s house, Gale arrives home, hugging her tight against his chest.  He promises not to leave her alone again.  

Later back at her flat, Katniss takes a long hot shower to wash away all the sweat, dirt and rain that almost froze her to the bone. She puts her hair into a high ponytail, so that the back of her shirt is not wet. She calls a courier who arrives about an hour later.

"Federal Express. Are you Katniss Everdeen?" the young courier asks.

"Yes, that’s me."

"I'm here to take the package."

"Yes, hold on a second."

She gets the package from the table and gives to him.

"Good bye, ma'am!"

"Have a good day." She mumbles as he leaves.

She stares at the closing door. Why does she have to return his phone? She doesn't want to do that. It's the only way to talk to this man, even if he's boring, rude and clearly, too curious for his own sake. 

Realizing what she wants, she runs outside toward the front of her building. She turns her head, frantically from right to left looking for the courier. 

She catches sight of him turning a corner. She runs to him, yelling at him to stop.

"HEY!"

She runs faster but the weather is still bad and she’s exhausted from the hike. 

She follows the courier around the corner, calling out to him. He's startled. She slows down catching her breath.

"I’m sorry, I’ve changed my mind." She pants, out of breath.

"You want to cancel?" he asks.

"Yes."

The courier gives her back her package. He's used to people changing their minds. She signs the discharge form and gives him 20 dollars for the trouble. 

She holds the phone tightly against her. She questions herself if she made the right decision.  For all she knows, this could make him angrier. But some part of her wants to stay in contact with him. Just in case something goes wrong. At least, it's what she tells herself. 

At night, Gale comes over with a pizza and they hang out. She can tell he still feels bad for leaving her alone in the storm. 

They move to go to sleep in Katniss’s bed. They're cuddling when she feels Gale's lips on her neck. He's running his hand under her nightgown, caressing her stomach. 

She wants to stop him as she’s not in the mood that night but she doesn’t. Slowly, he removes one shoulder of her nightgown but the moment is disrupted when Peeta's phone starts ringing. 

Before Gale knows what’s going on, Katniss leaps out of her bed and grabs the phone. The caller is a blond woman with clear blue eyes, and is labeled ‘ADELE’.

Without thinking and looking to escape Gale, she answers...

~~~~~~~~

_ New York _

"Dad, can I cook?"

"What can you make?" Peeta asks, raising his eyebrows playfully.

"Rice with cream sauce!" Rye says, giggling.

"Okay, let's do it!" Under Peeta's inquisitive gaze, Rye starts the recipe. 

He’s a little clumsy and leaves quite a mess in the kitchen but he finishes the dish. He tastes the cream sauce, smearing it all over his mouth. 

"I’ve finished Daddy!" Rye says with a happy voice.

They eat, and decide to watch a movie. Peeta plays with the phone some more. 

He noticed yesterday, when looking at her pictures that there was something strange about the capacity of her phone.

_ Capacity of the disc: 32 Gig _

_ Space available: 1.03 Gig  _

_ Used: 96.3 % _

_ Disposable: 3.2 _

He wondered how the phone’s memory was so full.  The phone looked to have only five movies, fifty pictures, two hundreds songs, and fifteen apps. Hardly anything too space consuming. He figures there must be more data hidden somewhere. 

He got so lost in thought he didn’t notice Rye's head laying on his thigh. Peeta picks him up and carries him to bed, tucking him in with his teddy bear. 

He leaves Rye’s door slightly ajar and heads back to the phone. 

He decides to connect the phone to his Mac book. He notices that she has a special storage app to organize all her files.  He figures if she’s hiding anything, it’s in there. 

The application is protected by a password. Hoping to get lucky, he tries KATNISS EVERDEEN then PASSWORD. Nothing seems to work.

He was about to try again when the phone suddenly starts ringing saying the caller is ‘PABLO’.  He's tempted to answer. Hopefully, the caller will leave a message. 

A short time later, the phone alerts him to a new voice message. 

_ “Hello, Miss Everdeen, sorry for calling this late, it’s Doctor Pablo.  I’m calling because tomorrow I have an important meeting and I want to know if it's possible to move our appointment forward one hour? Thanks and have a great weekend.” _

Peeta is surprised. So, Pablo isn't asouth-Americanlover, but a doctor! 

Curious, he googles ‘Doctor Pablo’ and ‘Sisters’. No results.  He tries again but this time uses ‘Doctor Pablo’ and ‘Oregon’.

Bingo!

__

_ Doctor Danielle Pablo _

_ Psychiatric medicine _

_ Hospital North Bend _

_ 97459 Bend, Oregon _ .

Peeta may have been mistaken about Katniss's infidelity but he was right about her malaise. In her pictures, she seems happy but someone who’s seeing a psychiatrist twice a week can’t be that happy... 

He return to the storage application and tries more passwords ‘123456’, ‘qwerty’, ‘gale’, ‘everdeen’ and even her phone number. Nothing works.

He knows that app holds the secret to her unhappiness and he’s frustrated at not being able to get in.

 

_ Sisters _

 

After the phone call, Katniss returned back to her bed finding Gale already asleep. 

She had explained to Adèle about the phone situation and Adèle asked her to delete her message, saying that it was weak moment. Katniss understood.

She leaves the room to get her laptop. Wanting to put a picture to her name, Katniss googles ‘Adèle Brandt’. The results show a lot of pictures of Adèle a few years younger as a model for the brand Modes. According to the Modes website, she is often compared to Blake Lively and Kate Moss. 

Naturally there’s a lots of pictures of her with Peeta, proving that they didn't hide their private life, using their popularity to boost their company. 

So what was it that turned his life upside down?  Why is she so curious?  Katniss knows she won’t be able to let this go.  She’ll just have to keep looking.

_ New York _

Still scrolling through Katniss’s pictures, Peeta noticed a different one that he hadn't paid any attention to before. Katniss is standing in front of a cake wearing a leather jacket and blouse, and she’s smiling. 

The photo appears to be about five years old. She looks younger, much less elegant and feminine than the woman he met at the airport. 

In the photo her face is much rounder and ugly dark circles show under her eyes. The portrait was taken in what looks like a police office; there are cardboard folders, a computer, little old fashioned pens, wingtips and a pair of scissors. 

He uses the zoom function to enhance the photo, seeing if he can catch any extra details. He thinks it’s kind of weird to see this woman at a police station, celebrating her birthday. 

The quality of the photo isn't excellent but he can still make out most of the surrounding details. He sees something written on her colleague’s jacket pocket: ‘LOP’.

_ What does that stand for?  _ Wonders Peeta.

He does another search, this time for ‘LOP + Police’. The first result is for ‘Lights of Phoenix’, in Arizona. He thinks he’s getting closer because the search results show pictures not of a police station, but of a private investigation office.

Katniss was a private investigator! 

Peeta is so intrigued that he don't think twice as he searches again, this time for : ‘Katniss+Everdeen+Investigator+Phoenix’. There are thousands of results but the first comes from a newspaper article.

_ Katniss Everdeen, private Investigator, failed suicide attempt _

_ Phoenix - One month after the death of Rue Williams, private investigator Katniss Everdeen, 23, attempted suicide by hanging from a beam in her apartment. The attempt failed as a falling wardrobe woke her neighbor Johanna Mason, who quickly intervened.  _

_ Miss Everdeen has been admitted to the Banner Thunderbird Medical Centre for psychiatric evaluation.  _

_ Questions still remain as to why Katniss tried to take her life.  Does she still feel guilt over the death of Rue Williams, the child prostitute. _

_ Chief Investigator of Lights of Phoenix, Haymitch Abernathy, has shut down the Williams case citing a lack of reliable evidence.  Abernathy also mentioned that Katniss Everdeen has been put on indefinite leave to concentrate on her recovery. _

Peeta was stunned.  Who knew this woman could be so intriguing! Perhaps this article has given him the answers he needs. 

He turns on Katniss' phone, opening up the password protected storage application and types in:

RUE

The application unlocks...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, heavy stuff!  
> It's getting interesting, huh ?  
> I put some of my ideas in this chapter. I should have warn about the prostitution, I'll put it right away in the tags. This idea is coming from me. However my ideas will be in the way of the authors'.  
> There is a lot back and forth bc the plot really begins.  
> I hope my poor choices of words arent bothering you.
> 
> Thank you for being supportive ! 
> 
> The title comes from Mad World by Adam Lambert.


	5. Got a secret, can you keep it?

After unlocking the application, Peeta finds that it contains hundreds of documents relating to something called the ‘Rue Case’ including notes, newspaper articles, photos and videos. Fearing that the application will lock up, Peeta transfers the files to his computer so he can see them all later. At first, he thinks the files were just part of a media kit, with articles about the kidnapping and murder of Rue Williams, but the more he investigates, the more he understands why Katniss is doing everything she can to protect the data. She has even scanned and duplicated every piece of evidence from her last investigation - all her notes, fingerprint photos, suspect interviews and exhibit photos complete with full descriptions.

Peeta is speechless. He sinks into his chair, hand against his mouth. These documents should have never left the investigation headquarters! He keeps searching and finds a large size Word document. Opening it, he sees that it’s a diary of sorts. He braces himself for what it might contain, opting to get a strong drink to try to relax. When he returns to the chair, he takes a moment to enjoy the feel of the smooth liquid flowing down his throat.

Then he plunges into hell. 

 

**_ TEN YEARS EARLIER...  _ **

 

"I give up!" screams Katniss. 

She's on the floor, sweating and crying. It's too much for her to handle. Haymitch, whom she only met two weeks ago, bends down to her ear whispering. 

"You're weak. You're pathetic. You're nothing. Nothing!" 

Her whole body is trembling, but she feels the stirrings of something rising up in her. She feels determined. She feels on fire! 

Haymitch continues to whisper in a wicked voice. "If you were my daughter I would be ashamed of you. I'm sure even your parents would've been ashamed to have a daughter as useless like you." 

Suddenly, she can’t think or see straight. She pushes him to the floor and falls on him; punching him in the face. He stumbles. She gives him an elbow to the nose. He starts bleeding profusely. 

"My parents would have been proud of me!" she screams wildly. 

She has never hit anyone this hard. Yet she doesn't stop. She continues with more veracity. It's when he doesn't react that she stops. Even if it was a cheap move from him, he's her mentor, she need his help. She knows he got exactly what he wanted, to let her rage get the upper hand. And it worked. 

She exits the training center without a glance behind her.

 

 

**_ One month after...  _ **

 

It’s Halloween. She’s at a house party. She sees a lot of people her age having fun and laughing. 

_No problems on their shoulders_ she thinks to herself. 

But Katniss isn’t there to party. She’s there to work. She walks past a full length mirror and for once, she like what she sees. She takes a quick picture before going upstairs. She opens the door to her right and finds a young man hovering a girl. 

With no expression on her face, Katniss addresses the man. "Get her out, we need to have a little conversation you and I." 

The girl pouts and dresses. She closes the door on her way out. 

"I have a message from Haymitch." Katniss says to him. 

"What is it?" 

"Stay away from Snow." He laughs. 

A cruel laugh that irritates Katniss. 

He approaches her and says. "You think you can come and tell me what to do, bitch? Tell to that fucking bastard to come and tell me himself. I have a job to do, try and stop me." 

Katniss knows he’s trying to bait her into getting mad, but she her training with Haymitch has taught her not to react to provocations and she controls her anger. She raises an eyebrow, to challenge him. 

"I did what I had to do." 

She turns around and heads to the door when she feels her hair being pulled violently from behind. Her face grimaces in pain. He shoves her to the ground. He smirks, but he doesn’t see what's coming because she recovers quickly and kicks him in his upper thigh. She knows for a fact that there's a sensitive nerve there. She’s almost clinical in her attack. Every movement predicted and anticipated. He places his hands too high, just in front of his face, leaving his stomach defenseless. Now it’s Katniss’s turn to smirk. She clenches her fists and delivers punch after punch. The man staggers and falls. He’ll remember this lesson. She finishes with an elbow to his mouth. In less three minutes, he’s on the ground passed out. Katniss takes her belt from around her waist and ties him to the foot of the bed. She finds a bandana in a wardrobe and ties it around his mouth. She takes the room key from the bedside table. 

Before she closes the door, she glances at him and thinks _Too bad that you're not going to get to complete your mission._

She didn't do this because of some sick thrill from hitting people but because she wants justice and doesn’t want to let criminals like him go free. She also did this for money. Money that can send her sister Primrose to medical school. Haymitch gives her these undercover gigs on the side and they pay well. Although he calls it ‘training’.

 

 

**_ A few months later... _ **

 

 

Katniss raises her voice. "You're going to have to explain it to me one more time because I still don't get it. Why did you wait EIGHT DAYS before reporting the kidnapping of your daughter?!" 

Sitting in front of Katniss, forehead sweating slightly, Louise Williams squirms uncomfortably on her chair. 

"You know how are teenagers, damn! They come, they go... and I already told you, Rue is independent. She can take care of..." 

"She is THIRTEEN! She is barely a teenager!" Katniss screams. 

Louise glares back at Katniss and asks to go out for a smoke. 

Katniss stops her. "Sit back down! You’re not going anywhere." Katniss sits down herself, sighing deeply. Louise Williams looks to be barely thirty years old. Her teeth are dirty and her dark skin has the texture of papier-mâché. She has only been in Katniss's office for one hour and she’s already been through all the usual stages: tears when she reported disappearance of her daughter then frustration and anger when the interrogation revealed that she was incapable of being able to explain why she waited so long before coming in. 

"What does her father think?" 

Louise shrugs. "It's been a long time since he’s been around. In fact, I'm not even sure he knows she’s his. I wasn’t exactly a one man woman back then..." 

Katniss is exasperated. She may have been in this business for a few years but she has seen people like this before – skittish behavior and shifty eyes, obvious signs of withdrawal. Louise Williams is a drug addict. Katniss shakes her head. She knows she’ll get nothing more today. She stands up calls out to her partner. 

"Ok Darius, we’re done here.” 

******* 

"Well I don’t have any good news. Zero hospitals have anyone registered under the name of Rue Williams." informs Darius. 

"Figures." Katniss mutters. 

West Van Buren Street is scary, dirty and way too quiet for this part of town. People passing them are glancing about like they have something to hide. Katniss is aware that this street is known for drugs and crime. It's not the first time that she's come here and it probably won’t be the last. Louise Williams opens up the flat letting Katniss and Darius inside. Immediately Katniss is hit with the smell of rot and spoiled food. The living room is dusty with rubbish everywhere. An old mattress lies on the floor and the windows chocked up with pieces of cardboard to block out the sun. The place is littered with cigarettes and beer cans. Katniss and Darius exchange a look, must be a lot of people living here. This may not be the open and shut case she was hoping for. Louise leads them upstairs to Rue’s bedroom. 

They are both shocked to find the room completely different to the rest of the flat. The bedroom is tidy and clear with a desk, shelves, books and a stereo. But those aren’t the things that make Katniss’s eyes widen in surprise. For lining the walls are tickets and programs from various operas, ballet concerts and theater shows. 

"This girl is an alien or...?" Darius asked. 

"Yeah... she’s always been like this, into books and music... not sure who she gets it from..." Louise mumbles. 

_ Not from you, thinks Katniss.  _

Darius looks at the CD's on the shelf. They are all classic music, not pop music like a normal girl of her age would be into. 

"You know many girls who listen to The Hanging Tree?" he asked Katniss. 

"I know one, at least." she replies with a distant look on her face. 

"Who?" 

"Me." 

Katniss remembers a time when her father used to sing this song to her as a child. She shakes the memory from her head figuring now is not the time to dwell in the past. She reasons that Rue was trying to escape the reality of her situation by appearing more cultured. Education and knowledge are effective weapons against a life of violence and fear. She puts on her latex gloves and opens the shelves finding them packed with dozens of packets of Oreos and small bottles of strawberry milk. 

"She only eats cookies dipped in milk." explained Louise. 

Glancing about the room, it appears that Rue 'left' without taking anything. Her violin is on her bed, her laptop is on her desk and her diary is at the foot of the bed. Picking up the diary, Katniss opens it carefully and finds a $50 bill. She notices Louise leering at the money. Clearly annoyed for not snooping around the bedroom before Katniss and Darius. Finding money untouched adds weight to the theory she didn’t leave willingly, she wouldn't have left such a sum behind her. Unfortunately, the rest of their search of the flat doesn’t offer up any more clues. Louise gives them a picture of Rue for the report. Katniss examines the photo. Rue looked like such a gentle soul with her chocolate skin, hazel eyes, gentle gaze, and dark thick curls around her pretty little face.  

****** 

Back at her office, Katniss and Darius go through all the pictures taken in the flat. Darius seems to sense that Katniss is unsettled and tries to reassure her. 

"Don't worry, we'll find her." 

Katniss knows that he’s just as despondent. She’s solved many cases but a child disappearing and only reported after a week has gone angers something in her. 

"What a bitch! Waiting eight fucking days! She’s the one who needs to be in jail!" she says, really pissed off. 

It’s common knowledge in the team that the first 48 hours in any missing persons case is critical. After this, if you still can’t find the person, the chances drop from slim to none. Darius tries to ease the tension. 

"Calm down. I found her phone number. We'll see if we can trace her calls." 

Katniss looks at Rue’s picture again and her throat tightens. If she’s alive she must be frightened. Really frightened. 

****** 

In the following days, Katniss mobilizes Haymitch's team. They check surveillance cameras and conduct searches for known pedophile alibis. Nothing. Interviews with friends and relatives reveal that Rue was last seen around her school. Her fellow students said that they saw a white van, however, further investigations came up with nothing more. Katniss believes that Louise is indirectly responsible for Rue’s disappearance and has her placed in custody for further questioning. In Katniss’s mind, Louise is nothing but a puppet and a drug addict. She’s not surprised when the interviews don’t reveal anything new. 

The station’s IT unit hacks Rue's laptop. Turns out her password was DARCY, like one of the main characters of Pride and Prejudices. Again, they come up with no hints to her whereabouts. She picks up Rue’s diary, deciding to go through it in more detail. Katniss discovers that Rue used to work, lying about her age to get the job. With a drug addict for a mother, it explains how she got the money to pay for her books, CD's and tickets. 

The entries show that for the last few months, Rue had been working as a waitress in a pub in downtown. They interrogate the pub’s boss, after first arresting him for hiring a minor, but he is clueless about her present whereabouts. 

Christmas arrives and the case is starting to go cold. Katniss ends up calling Prim to apologize for not making their planned vacation. She doesn’t think Prim would understand her devotion to solving this case. This isn’t the first time that she has worked in this neighborhood and she’s never failed to solve a case. She’s hunted killers, rapists, dealers, pedophiles, and even shut down a drug network. What makes her so good is her ability to be both annoyingly persistent and fiercely determined to find the truth. She begins to take prescription drugs to sleep, even just for a few hours. Every night, Katniss dreams about Rue and is haunted by her gaze. Every morning, she prays to find a new clue, something they might have overlooked. She finds herself starting to feel disillusioned with the lack of progress. To the point where she promises herself that if she doesn't find Rue, she will give up having a child of her own. 

Haymitch becomes worried about her though he will never tell her this. 

He says to her. "Be realistic, sweetheart. It's been three months now. We both know there’s a high chance she might be dead but we have other cases that need your attention, others that need help too." 

But Katniss didn't feel that closing Rue’s case is the right thing to do just yet. She still has hope that Rue is alive. She knows she’ll do anything to find her. Even pay a visit to the devil in person. 

****** 

Peeta pauses on the Word file. The alcohol has thankfully numbed his emotions. He knows that if he was reading this sober, his reaction would be quite a bit more emphatic. 

How could anyone guess that this silver eyed, well dressed, Dutch braided woman could be hiding so many demons? 

She seemed to have had such a simple life, yet these files show she has gone through hell. He gets out his chair and paces about the room. 

_I can't, I shouldn’t..._ He repeats in his mind. 

Peeta has demons too. Trust issues, self-doubts... the types of insecurities that make him question himself every day. He doubts he could saddle the demons of a stranger too. He’s only talked to her twice! And they were both arguments! She doesn’t care for him. And why should he care about this beautiful woman, who right now is probably cozed up to her fiancé, not even giving him a second thought. He looked at how many pages left - 6. His instincts tell him that the worst is yet to come. Peeta sits back down in front of the computer. He's stares blankly at the screen. It's now or never. Either he sits and reads the rest of the diary or either he closes it and deletes everything. 

_I’m going to regret this..._ he thinks. 

He pours himself another drink and starts reading the next page. 

****** 

Katniss parks her car in front of an English pub. It has belonged the Snow family for decades and is located in the middle of the Maryvale area, not far from Rue's house. She has barely set a foot in the pub when she hears someone call out to her. 

"Katniss! What a pleasure to see you." 

She sees the pub’s owner, Coriolanus Snow, sitting on a stool, leaning on the counter, smoking a cigarette. Snow, as Katniss calls him, is quite old with a full head of white hair, icy blue eyes, a big nose and plump lips too big for the rest of his face. Despite his appearance, he seems in good shape for someone his age. 

"Can I offer you a drink?" he asks in a polite but frosty voice. 

She knows that one wrong move and she'll be dead in a second. Dead like the Ukrainian they found in a dead end street last month: legs and arms cut off and blood everywhere. Snow never kills anyone without a reason. Sometimes he gets especially creative. . . 

"No, thank you." Katniss replies. 

Accepting a drink from him could give him the opportunity to poison her glass, most likely with Nightlock or worse and she won’t give him the chance. 

"I have to talk to you Snow." 

He stands up and leads her into the patio. In the corner of her eye, she can see Snow’s henchman Seneca Crane approaching her, ready to search her to see if she’s carrying. 

"You.” She glares at him. “Touch me and I’ll cut your head off." 

Snow has a small, wicked smile. His staff begin to murmur. Nobody talks like that in front of the boss. Normally, for less she would be dead but Snow calms his men and reaches his hand toward her. She gives him her gun. Fortunately, she has another hidden on her body which they wouldn't find it no matter how hard they tried. They sit in the patio. Despite the sun reflecting on them, Katniss shivers. It's not easy being face to face with evil. 

"What do you want, Miss Everdeen? I'm pretty sure that if you are here wanting to talk to someone like me, it must be something important. Speak." 

One common point between them: they don’t waste time beating around the bush. 

"I've come to see you about, Rue Williams." 

"What about her?" 

Katniss is uncomfortable. Snow’s eyes scan her. 

"Are you behind all of this?" she asks. 

"Even if I had anything to do with her, what is the problem Miss Everdeen?" 

"Did. You. Kidnap. Her?" Snow smiles. 

Not a good sign. 

"Please I need your help!" she pleads. 

"If I remember correctly Miss Everdeen, you were the one who prevented one of my men completing his mission on Halloween? That cost me dearly. And I hate when people interfere with my business. Please tell me why I should help you?" 

Katniss knew that intimidation is just one of his strategies to try to break her. He may be a criminal but he’s smart. Unfortunately for him, she's better. 

"You know everybody in this town and the half of them owe you something. You solve neighborhood disputes and give gifts at Christmas to the poorest families..." 

"I have to show a good side sometimes because I want the people to feel that they owe me something, Miss Everdeen. It's the core of my business." 

"I want you to find information about Rue. Statements, I don't know...anything that people didn't say to us. Maybe some politician who owes you one." 

He raises an eyebrow at her, still smiling at her request. 

"And what do I get in return?" Katniss pauses, swallowing. 

She knows what to give up to make him talk. But she also knows she’ll lose some of her soul doing it. She bites her lips and chooses her next words carefully. 

"There is a mole among your men." 

"You're bluffing." 

"No. It's true. Otherwise, how would I know that you’re planning a robbery next Friday?" Snow's smile drops. 

He leans towards her and speaks in a quieter voice. 

"If I help you, you’ll give me this name?" 

"Yes." 

"Remember that a long time ago we promised not to lie to each other Miss Everdeen." 

"I’m not lying." She replies as calmly as she can manage. 

She hopes that Haymitch doesn’t find out about this. Katniss writes the name down on a coaster and gives to him. The fake smile returns to his face. 

"I believe we have a deal. You can have your gun back." 

Katniss leaves the pub, fighting back a single tear for what she’s given up. 

****** 

The week following her meeting with Snow, a new witnesses comes to the LOP which reopens the investigations into the mysterious white van. 

A website is created: www.rue-williams.com to promote an association set up to collect donations to fund billboards in train stations, bus stops and malls throughout the state of Arizona for information on Rue. Before a major football match, 82,000 missing person posters are distributed and Rue’s picture is shown on the stadium screens for a short time. 

Also that same week, a man named Liam Watton is shot dead, with his tongue cut off in the basement of Snow's pub. Katniss didn't sleep that night. 

****** 

Two months later, a strange package arrives at the LOP. 

It is addressed to _‘Katniss Everdeen, person in charge of Rue's case’_. It was a white plastic container with a message written on the top - _**‘she was a good little money earner, but turns out, her heart wasn’t in it.’**_

Katniss opens the box, finding it full of ice. With her hands, she digs into the container finding nothing at first but the more she digs the more, the white ice becomes red. Her heart starts racing likes it’s going to leap from her chest. She tries not to panic, but there….at the bottom, lies what looks to be a piece of meat, half frozen. The slow realization hits her that she’s looking at an organ. 

A heart crudely butchered. 

A human heart. 

Rue's heart. 

****** 

This time, the LOP's lab has enough material and time to do a full analysis. They test to see if the heart matches the DNA of hair found on Rue’s hairbrush. 

Soon there isn’t any doubt. 

Rue is dead. 

That day, something breaks in Katniss. She returns to her home like a zombie. At home she drinks and takes whatever drugs she can to dull the pain. She doesn’t sleep that night either. The next day, she doesn’t come into work. Nor the next four weeks. She lies catatonic in her bed staring at the wall, only drinking beers and taking more painkillers. Reality is too unbearable. She keeps going over and over in her head where she might have gone wrong. Two people are dead. She couldn’t even save Rue. Little Rue with her big dreams of theatres and classical music. 

Kidnapped, forced into prostitution and then murdered. 

Her team mates try to reach out to her but Katniss is numb, indifferent to the rest of the world. However, the rest of the world wants to know Rue’s story. 

_The Sun_ pays Louise Williams $ 500,000 to tell Rue's story. More fuel for the habit she thinks. 

Finally, almost a month later, Katniss awakes in the middle of the night after hours of fitful sleep. She gets up, finds a rope and ties it around a beam. 

It has to stop. 

Her vision is blurry and her body is wrecked from months of drinking and depression. 

_ You’re weak Katniss. You’re pathetic.  _

She isn’t a survivor anymore, or a warrior. 

_You’re nothing_. 

She throws some painkillers into her mouth and chases them down with a beer. Then, she climbs on a chair, tying the rope to form a loop. She puts her head in and tightens the knot. 

It has to stop. 

For months now she has been haunted by a ghost. A ghost with Rue's face. It’s too much to handle. 

It has to stop.

 

                         It has to stop.

 

                                                  Then she jumps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ! 
> 
>  
> 
> The chapter is much darker, it changes.
> 
> All informations are real. There is a street named Van Buren in Phoenix, same for the neighborhood.
> 
> I just came home from self defense lesson when I wrote Katniss' part, so the kicking and all, I didn't exaggerated. I was so exhausted; I had bruises on my forearms and thighs haha. And it inspired me.
> 
> ALSO. Huge thanks to my beta Gyfted, she is incredible. She gives me good tips. In one week and half, she corrected all my chapters ! I intend to keep her as a beta as long as possible haha :)   
> Because the chapters has been corrected, maybe you should re-read it 
> 
> Song from the title : Secrets by The Pierces.


	6. Are you, are you coming to the tree?

New York

Peeta watches the sunrise in New York, overtired and exhausted from a night spent in front of his computer. His eyes burning from reading a monitor for hours on end. 

His mind is still reeling from events he read in the file: the butchered heart, the misery of Van Buren Street, the ravages of drug addiction, the frightening coldness of Snow, blood, tears, death...

Although he had expected something so well hidden to contain sensitive information, he was unprepared for the true horror of Katniss’s past. Even now, there are still a few pictures yet to open, but Peeta knows Rye will wake up soon and he should get started on getting breakfast ready. 

He showers, closing his eyes and letting the warm water beat down on his exhausted body, hoping to cleanse his mind of last night’s memories.

Why is he so stubborn? Why can’t he just delete all the files? It would be so much easier. Now his mind is restless and his concentration spent.

Peeta’s mind is still swarming with questions. What happened to the girl just before she died? What was she thinking when she gave her last breath? What was it about her that touched Katniss so deeply? Maybe Katniss knew Rue or was it just because Rue was only a child?

What bothers him the most is why a brilliant private investigator in Phoenix decided to leave it all behind for a life in retail in a small town? 

Sisters

After a fitful night of sleep, Katniss wakes up to find her hair sticking out in different directions. She gets up and drags herself in the shower contemplating the mysterious article she read last night.

The paparazzi pictures in the article were taken in Nassau, Bahamas. There is no doubt that the woman in the photo is Adèle and the photo’s caption identifies the man as George Bates. The article mentioned the couple were spotted at Cable Beach on the 28th December 2009.

Even if these pictures were 'stolen', they looked staged, as if the couple were on a photo shoot. Wearing a long white dress, Adèle is pictured holding hands with George, walking and smiling at each other as if they are the only ones in the world. 

The last two photos appear to show them at a café, kissing. 

Katniss thinks how hurtful it would have been for Peeta to see these photos. 

The press was not kind to Adèle. She had jetted out half a world away to a luxurious hotel for a rendezvous with her lover while Peeta was in New York, trying to save his restaurant and look after his son.

Katniss examines the picture of George. He is tall with brown hair and has a mysterious look about him. A handsome man. 

According to the article, George was Peeta’s assistant and friend while working at The Capitol. Before he met Peeta, George was a hot dog seller in Manhattan. Peeta had a gift at finding talented people to work for him. Peeta gave George guidance, stability and training under one of the world’s best chefs that assured him a job for the rest of his life. 

And to thank him, George stole his wife...

Katniss smiles to herself and starts to formulate a plan to revenge Peeta. 

After seeing him in the photos, Katniss realises George came into her shop only two days ago. Apparently, he's participating in the hiking competition too. And is just so happens that there's only one hotel in this town. 

Katniss parks her car in front of the hotel. The hotel is owned by Sae so she is pretty sure she's not going to have any trouble. 

She stops herself just before entering the hotel and questions her motives. What the fuck are you doing? You're not an investigator anymore!

The need to revenge Peeta has gripped her like a vice. She can’t stop now even if she wanted to.

She enters the hotel and spots Sae talking with a customer. When she finishes, she walks up to her. 

"Hello, Sae!"

Sae smiles at her friend. "Hello, honey! How are you?"

"Alright, thank you." Katniss replies, smiling back.

Sae narrows her eyes at Katniss. "What are doing here? Is there any problem?"

"Um...No. I asked to Clarys to take care of the shop. I need to ask you a question," said Katniss, lowering her voice.

"Ok, what is it?"

"I need to know if a man named George Bates is staying here."

Sae walks over to the counter and searches.

"He is indeed staying here but it looks like he’s not in at the moment. Why do you need to know?"

"He came into my shop the other day and I have to talk to him."

"Right, well you can wait in the hotel restaurant. If I remember correctly he said he was returning for lunch."

"Okay, thanks Sae."

Katniss sits in a empty table at the restaurant and opens her laptop while she waits. To bide her time, she starts searching for more information on George Bates. She soon finds that George has a love of travelling, to the point of hosting his own travel blog where he regularly posts about diving.

His blog is updated frequently and he has many followers. He posts about dives in Mexico, Brazil, Hawaii and St Martin.

Katniss stops at a beautiful picture of a leopard taken in the Maldives. According to the date of the post, the picture was captured on the 26th December 2009.

Katniss stops to think for a moment. The press claims the pictures in the Bahamas were taken the 28th. Only problem is that the Bahamas and the Maldives are at least 15,000 miles apart.

She knows it’s not entirely impossible to travel that distance in only 2 days but her instincts tell her that something is wrong. Katniss notices that George’s travels don't last any longer than a week at the most. However, according to the dates of the press photos, that must mean he only stayed at the Maldives for two days. George must have stopped his vacation to join Adèle.

Katniss feels a rush of excitement. She thinks she’s like Louise Williams in a way: compelled by addiction. Louise was addicted to drugs, but for Katniss it's different: she's addicted to solving cases and finding the truth.

To give into her addiction once again is a big temptation. She already thinks she’s too curious for her good. Maybe Peeta’s story is just an excuse to do it again. Or maybe, it's just that there is something about this man that she can't explain.

Two hours and three coffees later, George comes into the restaurant with a younger woman on his arm. Smiling as if he owns the planet. 

Katniss narrows her eyes at him. They make eye contact and she gives him a lopsided smile. 

Game on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey !!! :D 
> 
> How are you ? 
> 
> I'm sorry for the delay and the short chap, I had a lot of things going on in October. Josh came so I wanted to see him so badly. He is a true angel ♡   
> I needed to post something even if it's short, promise I'll make up for it next time.
> 
> So... Peeta knows everything !   
> But now, we are confronted to another secret : Peeta's.   
> What do you think it is? At first it seemed an affair between George and Adèle, but now?
> 
> Oh for ppl we didn't understand Adèle is for Delly ;) 
> 
> I plan to put a loooot of actions in the next, I have a lot of ideas haaaaaa so excited. 
> 
> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABT MOCKINGJAY???? When I saw it the 10th I thought I won't make it and die in the theater, seriously. The last scene shattered my heart in a million pieces. There wasn't a lot of actions but it's okay I have another year to prepare myself with all these death :(   
> I want you to share with me all your feelings about Mockingjay ! 
> 
> Song : The Hanging Tree from MJP1 soundtrack
> 
> Thanks again to Gyfted Gyfted my wonderful beta. My story wouldn't so great if she wasn't there to help me :) 
> 
> Kisses, IAS x

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was it ? :)
> 
> You can give me kudos and/or a review ! It's always appreciated :)
> 
> See you !
> 
> IAS :)xx


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